America Ferrera is still reminiscing about the time she gave a six-minute speech at the Women’s March in Washington this January.

“There was a bit of dread I felt leading up to it because of the fear and the sheer disbelief of what was being said and what was happening after the election,” admitted the 32-year-old actress to Vulture. “But that all went away when I got there and saw hundreds of thousands of people walking through the streets from everywhere, who came to stand together. It immediately became a celebration of our unity, of goodness, of being alive, of standing up for what’s right, about standing together. Just being there was so energizing and overwhelming.”

Ferrera, who said it was the biggest crowd she’s ever addressed in her life, said that her speech needed to be heard, prompting her to put aside her fears.

“Whether you’re an immigrant or whether you’re Muslim or whether you’re black or poor or gay or trans, [that] you weren’t alone,” she added. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be very hard times ahead and that there isn’t a reason to fear, but there is also reason to be hopeful. What was on my mind when I was giving that speech is, ‘We need this. I need this.’”

While Ferrera did reveal that the idea of ever running for office was “never part of the plan,” she didn’t completely rule out the possibility for the future.

“I don’t think any of us knows what lies ahead,” she explained. “And I will say that for a lot of people, myself included, the current situation has really put into perspective what matters. We all have something to give, and it doesn’t seem like there’s ever been a more important time to ask yourself, ‘Who do I want to be in this unprecedented era of this country figuring out what it is?’ So I don’t know. I think the answer is I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”